1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to portable electronic devices and user interfaces thereof, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for arranging user interface objects in a touch screen portable device.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid developments in electronics and telecommunications in recent years, portable (i.e., handheld) electronic devices such as mobile terminals, smart phones, game devices, electronics organizers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), etc., have become increasingly popular. Portable terminals in some cases have become necessities of modern life as important means for delivering information which changes rapidly.
Recently, with the widespread use of touch screen portable devices based on a Graphic User Interface (GUI), designs have focused on improving user interfaces and facilitating user input. Touch screen devices typically display a plurality of user selectable objects on a main screen. A user can execute a task associated with an object via touch contact on the object to thereby select it. The user interface object may be an icon which allows a representatively loaded program to be executed to carry out a function, initiate an application program, etc.
As touch screen devices have proliferated, new designs with relatively larger touch screens have been introduced. With the advantage of a large screen, these devices have become increasingly popular. However, they exhibit a drawback when a user attempts to select objects using his/her thumb. For instance, if the user is holding the device with one hand and attempts to select icons using the thumb of that hand, it may be difficult to reach icons located across the entire screen furthest from the thumb position.